WE ARE SHINING
Our 2024/25 programme, ‘WE ARE SHINING’, celebrated Cornwall’s long traditions of welcoming strangers, of community and outdoor performance.
WE ARE SHINING has been a year-long journey inspired by the travels of Pytheas, the Greek explorer. A sailor, geographer, astronomer … and the first person to circumnavigate and document Great Britain in 320BC, mapping out the land of Belerion, ‘The Shining Land’, which we now call Cornwall.
What would an explorer find when arriving from the great blue beyond today?
How do we describe ourselves? Our history and myths, our character, our everydayness, and our rarity? What do we value and who do we want to share it with?
With fantastical imagery, story, song, immersive experiences, fire, pride, passion, and laughter, this programme explored and re-imagined what this ‘Shining Land’ means for us.
ACTIVITY:
The project had four distinct strands of activity involving a range of local and national partners.
- HELLO STRANGER: a community engagement multi-project spanning towns, schools, and diverse communities across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Our outreach was extensive, encompassing collaborations with St Petrocs and individuals experiencing homelessness, working with disadvantaged and marginalised young people, involving Death Cafés and people experiencing loss, engaging with refugee communities, connecting with people living with disabilities, building relationships with the WI, and reaching out to individuals in the hospitality and farming sectors. Everyone was invited!
As part of the initiative, we established partnerships with Cornwall schools. The Wildworks team delivered one-day theatre workshops in ten secondary schools, where we introduced our innovative approaches to theatre in the landscape. Additionally, we intensively created work with five schools and their local communities.
Explore the ‘HELLO STRANGER’ strands of work below:
- RE:WILD: A training programme that equipped individuals with new practical skills and tools. RE:WILD also developed Cornwall’s internal networks, channels of communication, and opportunities to collaborate, which are crucial if the creative sector is to thrive.
Wildworks Theatre – We are Shining
Summer Show – We blazed a trail in Summer 2024 by staging a rip-roaring show The Kneebone Cadillac bang in the middle of Cornwall’s legendary stock car racetrack. Take a look back.
Autumn 2024 ‘WE ARE SHINING’ culminated in a trademark Wildworks – large scale, free/low-cost event, Stranger Bests, that brought communities and visitors together. For both live and digital audiences. Take a look back.
Each activity has been fastened to places across the length and breadth of Cornwall weaving an intricate web of connectivity that touches both ‘honey pot’ and hidden communities.
Have you taken part in any ‘WE ARE SHINING’ activities this year? We’d love to hear what you thought.
